Goshawk Nest in Zemgalē 2025

[Polly]

08:03 Mona walks to the edge of the nest. The hole is clearly visible.

[Polly]

08:06 Mona gets up, puts the piece of food somewhere else and leaves the nest for a minute.

[Polly]

08:41 Mona is feeding the eggs.

The female is actually holding gnawed bits in front of the eggs.




♡



Patience, Mona - it'll be fine soon.

08:45 Feeding finished.
Mona carries the food out of the nest.

[Polly]

09:39 Wow, someone is in a hurry.

[Polly]

11:51 Miks calls, and Mona follows euphorically.

Miks comes into the nest and guards the eggs, which are now truly coming to life. He looks at them, listens, rolls them, and touches them.


He enjoys it – until Mona returns with food.


Miks is very excited today.
This time, too, he lurks around the nest...even though Mona protests.

[Polly]

While Mona eats and bleats, Miks tries his luck from all directions.

With a branch...


...without a branch

[Polly]

Once again, past the threatening Mona.


Again, but this time Miks is ignorant enough to at least plant the branch he brought with him.




Mona doesn't seem very pleased.

[Polly]

Mona eats and gurgles...

12:08 She carries the rest of the carcass out of the nest.


This is Mik's opportunity! He brings a beautiful twig.


He just manages to place the twig on the edge of the nest when Mona returns.

[Polly]

It's not as if Miks doesn't have any branches left...

He's being expelled immediately.




Little chance from that direction either. But this branch is staying here.

[Polly]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.




But Miks won't be taking this branch this time.

♡ Miks

[Polly]

13:13 Old makes way for new.

[Polly]

13:41 The egg babbles

[Polly]

The chick is making its way out of the eggshell, and it's incredibly fascinating to be able to experience this day.
Despite all the negative opinions (not mine), Miks shows us that he is indeed a capable male. That he goes beyond the tolerance limits of his dominant female and doesn't let anyone take away his contribution to providing for the family.

Mona shows strong instincts even before the first chick has hatched. She started feeding the eggs this morning, and she's doing it again.

I haven't seen that anywhere else. Crazy.
The chick is clearly audible. The cuckoo is also calling during all this moment.

Mona leaves the nest and returns with a young bird. She eats it herself, but also offers it to the egg (for example, 14:45:24, 14:46:50).




And Miks also flutters into the nest.



♡

[Polly]

15:59 Not much has moved.


16:20 Mona gets up and checks on her chick. It's still hanging between two eggshells, but it's easy to see and hear.
Mona doesn't intervene. She checks the shell and covers the eggs again.

'25 The breakthrough, if can call it that.
The little head is free. Only the butt is still hanging in the eggshell.




Mona stays actively involved. She stands halfway up and starts gnawing on the eggshell. The chick has essentially hatched completely. It takes a few proper movements to get rid of the loose eggshell.

Welcome, little chirping miracle!



♡

[Polly]

Mona gets up a bit from time to time... the bundle of joy needs a hairdryer.

17:06 Miks sneaks around, calling out. Mona chats with him from the nest.


If Mona doesn't come to him, he comes to Mona.
Finally, he gets a chance...

17:11brings food to the nest and leaves it on the edge.

[Polly]

20:11 Mona leaves the nest and stays away for quite a while.

11 minutes later, she returns with food.
The carcass that Miks brought is still lying on the edge of the nest.

Mona begins to feed. It's not easy...
The little one is positioned very awkwardly. Almost with its back to Mona.


Mona handles the situation confidently and patiently. Sometimes she gently pecks the chick on the head with her beak to encourage it to search more actively for food.

And sometimes the little bobblehead just falls over.


All in all, everything is reassuring.

Mona covers the little rascals again.
By the way, Mona is digesting too. The snake's movements are clearly visible. Great, no one is hungry!



♡ The first feeding

[Polly]

The little one is fidgeting and Mona is still digesting.

[Emi7]

Hello, Polly and all.

Congratulations to the field pair for their first chick.

In the end, although it seemed that they were a little late, they have met exactly and have matched the incubation times of the other pairs with three eggs: 37.8 days.

The males play their role to perfection and are a key part in the whole process despite the females taking the lead.
We see tolerant females with the males and we admire it, Perle with Rio and H44, H21 with H44 and Alla with Ruudi. They have it easier than Luijs, Miks or Rapla's male. From Margo I don't have so much follow up detail but it seems she was also a tolerant female.

Hopefully the next hatchings will take place soon and in no time we will see the chicks flying.

Best regards and thanks for your reports.

[sova]

Good morning Polly and Emi

...
Mona shows strong instincts even before the first chick has hatched. She started feeding the eggs this morning, and she's doing it again.
....

Wonderful, Mona's behavior has such a warm quality, it's hard to describe the feeling.
Congratulations to Mona and Miks ... somehow, I wish Miks could spend a little more time with eggs next season.

[Polly]

Emiliano, sova, nice to read you both!

... somehow, I wish Miks could spend a little more time with eggs next season.

Yes, that would be nice. Miks showed yesterday how crazy and caring he really is.

It's likely that Mona doesn't want it. Miks's only role is to care for his female in the background. Mona doesn't tolerate him in the nest. That's how it looks. Miks accepts it. Mona doesn't invite him to anything else either. No tempting, binding couple conversations... just the bare minimum.

I think that, as with many couples, the female is in charge and leads. She decides, and the male says 'yes.'